The Samsung HDTV Capacitor Settlement

Samsung recently settled a lawsuit related to faulty capacitors within HDTVs produced between 2006 – 2008:

The class action lawsuit alleges a defect that may cause the television to experience symptoms such as not turning on, experiencing a delay in turning on, making a clicking sound, cycling on and off, or other similar problems. Samsung denies the allegations in the lawsuit, but has agreed to settle the lawsuit to avoid the costs and uncertainty of continued litigation.

Of the millions of sets Samsung has moved, they estimate only 1% of their LCD, DLP, and plasma HDTVs are affected. Members of the class may be entitled to reimbursement for prior repair, a $300 debit card, or actual repair. As it turns out, a friend’s 3 year old 40″ Samsung LCD had started flaking out in recent months – requiring several minutes to display a picture at full brightness after powering on. So, of course, I directed him to Samsung’s site to determine if his out-of-warranty model and serial number are covered. And, once it was clear he’s eligible, instead of completing the claim form (PDF), he simply called 1-888-899-7602 to see about getting assistance.

Samsung’s phone rep efficiently took his information and tentatively scheduled repair about a week out. The local technician, who we assumed was contracted, firmed up the details a few days later. The work itself seemed quite simple, taking only about 15 minutes. Although the technician did indicate some sets are harder to work with than others and that removing wall mounted units adds time to his service call. In my pal’s case, he removed the back cover of of set, removed the board, and replaced exactly four capacitors. And my buddy is quite pleased to have his primary television back in service at 100%.(Thanks, Ricky Tan!)

My Mother-In-Law has a 40″ LCD that is showing all of these problems and has proper model numbers. I am hoping to set up an appointment in the next few weeks to get it fixed. I will let you know how it goes.

Do we know if Samsung forces you to go through ridiculous troubleshooting before they approve the repair?

I have a 42″ Samsung Plasma that goes “click-click” when you turn it on. Its done that since day 1 and I always thought it was normal. Sounds like a relay. TV works fine so as long as I get a picture I’m not going to make a fuss over it.

I’m thinking I should buy some of the new Samsung Big Brother TV’s, sell ’em on eBay while keeping the receipts, and just wait for the inevitable settlement down the road. It’s a better investment than Apple stock…

I opted for the $300. I called Samsung when troubles began, exactly 18 months after purchase ($1400!), and they offered to set up a service call but NOT pay for it. I’m taking my $300 and putting toward a dependable product. A Sony.

My Samsung plasma 58″ HDTV – model FP-T5884 – bought and manufactured in 2007 died (black screen). I removed the power distribution board and the Y-board and there are no bulged / domed capacitors and the back sides of the boards have no signs of heat damage. My next step is to test the many capacitors and replace those that have failed. Are repair kits available or do I need to buy replacement capacitors individually?